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Wednesday, November 4, 2015

A Suitable Riding Partner

You might have noticed that the past couple of weekends I've gone on the long bike trips without a partner. Sure, I'm a lonesome cowboy at heart, but there are times when riding with someone else is fun. Almost all of the group rides I've done have been a blast - and part of why I enjoyed them so much was because of the company.

Hubby told me he'd prefer if I rode with another girl. I haven't decided if that statement is sexist or not yet. I did a quick search on the web on the topic and turns out it's a split decision. Half couldn't care less while the other half disapproved strongly. During my websearch I came across this thread which is freaking hilarious. However, if you have any fears whatsoever about your significant other training with someone of the opposite sex, I'd advise you not to read it.

so happy together...

Spoiler alert: Half the people in it ended up leaving their original partner for the training partner. Just saying I'd be more than a little bit worried if I were Saluki's current spouse...

After giving the subject some thought, I find myself being torn. I can see how training with a partner can lead to intimacy, how hours without complications and everyday ups and downs could lead to temptation. Especially if your riding partner is a fox or at the very least not repulsive. I know from experience how huge swings in feelings can bring people close and force a level of intimacy that usually takes years to arrive at. Battling something with intensity, for then to experience victories together create bonds like no other. I learned that courtesy of the armed forces. It also creates a sort of camaraderie that excludes everyone else.

That being said, I don't know how any guy dressed up like these would be remotely tempting, but stranger things have happened. Now, if Scarlett Johansson showed up in spandex... which leads me to my other point; on a personal note, having a female riding partner wouldn't make any difference in this context since I'm batting for both teams.

you can ride my (imaginary) tandem anytime...

you can as well, guess we're getting a triplet!
I'm calling the middle seat!

But if the shoe were on the other foot - say, if hubby walked in the door announcing he'd taken up tandem biking with someone else - I think my level of anxiety would hinge on how well I know said hubby. I think I can recognise a person in love or lust, but with exercise comes euphoria so perhaps hard to tell the difference between post coital bliss and saddle sores. Though while I might be able to recognize a partner in lust, I might not be able to recognize that in myself - if history means anything.

It was the oldest story in the book: girl meets boy, girl marries boy, girl and boy take each other for granted, girl and boy stops having coitus, girl gets frustrated, girl meets another boy, girl thinks this new boy is exciting, girl falls in lust with new boy, the first boy finds out, girl has to let go of new boy, girl and first boy find happiness again after learning that trust is a very fragile thing.

While I'm not actively searching for a riding partner at the moment, it would be nice to find someone within biking distance I can holler at when I feel like riding with company for longer than 20 miles. Only time will tell if this happens or not. Until then, I ride happily along solo.

3 comments:

Shows how out of touch I am - I don't actually know who the auburn-haired woman is. I ride alone because I can choose the day and the route and the pace - I can stop to look at the flowers if it pleases me, or push on relentlessly for hour after hour without stopping. But having a riding partner can make some folks more likely to ride - so it is a case of "know yourself". I have a running partner, but not a riding partner :-)